Academic Director

The Academic Director plays a key leadership role in ensuring the academic quality, effective delivery and ongoing development of programmes at Universal Higher Education – London. The postholder is responsible for supporting excellent student outcomes across UHE’s higher education provision, including extended undergraduate programmes with Foundation Year and direct entry degree provision for international students. The Academic Director provides academic leadership to teaching teams, supports regulatory and quality assurance compliance, promotes an excellent student experience for both domestic and international cohorts, and contributes to the strategic development of UHE’s academic provision.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Academic Management
  • The Academic Director will deputise for the Campus Director or designated senior leader in his or her absence, where required.
  • Support the senior leadership team in ensuring that UHE London meets the requirements of relevant regulatory and awarding bodies, including the Office for Students, QAA expectations, UKVI requirements where applicable, and internal academic governance and quality assurance processes.
  • Lead on the maintenance and enhancement of academic standards, quality assurance, student progression and retention across UHE programmes.
  • Contribute to the review, development and implementation of academic policies, procedures and practices to support high-quality teaching, learning and assessment.
  • Support effective collaboration with awarding bodies, validating partners and external stakeholders, where applicable.
• Team Management
  • Lead and manage the academic teaching team to ensure the effective delivery of UHE programmes.
  • Provide academic leadership, guidance and support to lecturers, module leaders and other academic staff.
  • Communicate regularly with academic staff through scheduled meetings, briefings and other appropriate channels.
  • Ensure that teaching staff create an engaging, inclusive, supportive and academically rigorous learning environment in which students can achieve their goals.
  • Oversee the planning and scheduling of teaching delivery in an effective and efficient manner across foundation, extended degree and direct entry degree provision.
  • Monitor the quality of module delivery and ensure consistency across cohorts and modes of study.
  • Ensure that student assessment, academic feedback and progress monitoring are carried out robustly, fairly and in a timely manner.
  • Conduct or support teaching observations, peer review, appraisal and performance development processes for academic staff.
  • Identify staff development and CPD needs and support the implementation of training to enhance teaching quality, assessment practice and student support.
• Resources
  • Ensure that academic staff have appropriate teaching spaces, learning resources, assessment materials and digital tools to deliver modules effectively.
  • Lead and support the development and review of module documentation, schemes of work, teaching plans, learning materials, assignments and assessment briefs.
  • Oversee the quality and consistency of teaching and learning materials to ensure alignment with programme specifications and learning outcomes.
  • Advise on the review and enhancement of library resources, online learning materials and other academic support resources to improve the student experience.
  • Promote effective engagement with the virtual learning environment and ensure that module content, assessments and student learning materials are accurately maintained online.
  • Support the development of academic learning resources appropriate to both domestic and international student cohorts.
• Reporting and Governance
  • Contribute to academic governance and management meetings through regular reporting on academic performance, student outcomes, quality assurance and teaching delivery.
  • Prepare and present reports, data and analysis relating to student attendance, progression, continuation, achievement and academic quality.
  • Attend and contribute to committees and meetings as required, including academic boards, quality meetings, assessment boards and senior management meetings.
  • Work closely with senior leaders, programme teams and partner representatives, where applicable, to review performance and support continuous improvement.
  • Provide information and analysis required for internal review, external reporting, audit and inspection activity.
• Staffing
  • Monitor staffing needs and advise senior leadership on academic resourcing requirements for upcoming terms, intakes and programme growth.
  • Support the recruitment, selection and onboarding of academic staff, including full-time, part-time and associate lecturers where required.
  • Contribute to the induction of new academic staff and provide ongoing support to ensure effective integration into UHE’s academic culture and quality expectations.
  • Work with senior colleagues to develop and implement an effective continuing professional development programme for academic staff.
  • Promote high standards of professionalism, accountability and student-centred practice across the academic team.
• Students
  • Participate in student induction for each intake and communicate academic expectations, programme requirements and progression opportunities clearly to students.
  • Ensure effective systems are in place to monitor student attendance, engagement, academic progress and overall achievement.
  • Identify students at risk of poor performance, withdrawal or non-progression and ensure that appropriate academic support and interventions are implemented promptly.
  • Support a positive and inclusive academic experience for both domestic and international students.
  • Work collaboratively with student support, admissions and academic teams to promote student success, continuation and progression.
  • Encourage a culture of academic integrity, student engagement and independent learning.
  • Support academic transition and preparedness for students entering through Foundation Year and for international students joining directly at degree level.
• Assessment
  • Ensure that formative and summative assessments are designed, scheduled and managed appropriately across the academic year so that students are supported to succeed.
  • Oversee the implementation of fair, robust and consistent assessment practices in line with UHE policies and awarding body requirements, where applicable.
  • Support the organisation and management of examinations, coursework submissions, marking processes, moderation, reassessment and mitigation arrangements.
  • Participate in assessment boards and related academic decision-making processes.
  • Ensure that assessment outcomes, progression decisions and student feedback are recorded accurately and communicated appropriately.
  • Monitor assessment performance data and use this information to identify trends, risks and opportunities for academic improvement.

Person Specification

• Legal status
  • Eligibility to live and work in the UK
  • Enhanced DBS disclosure check or overseas equivalent
• Qualifications
  • Master’s degree in Business, Management, or a related field.
  • Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) or willingness to achieve it.
  • Management or leadership qualification (Desirable)
• Experience
  • Significant experience of academic leadership or management within a Higher Education setting.
  • Proven experience in managing teaching teams and improving the quality of teaching and learning.
  • Experience in the delivery and oversight of Foundation Year (Level 3) and/or Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Levels 4-7) programme.
  • Experience in academic quality assurance, including internal and external moderation and compliance with regulatory bodies (e.g., OfS, QAA).
  • Experience working with a diverse student body, including both domestic (UK) and international students.
  • Experience in curriculum development and the validation of new HE programmes (Desirable).
  • Experience in managing UKVI compliance and international student engagement requirements (Desirable).
• Knowledge and skills
  • Deep understanding of the UK Higher Education landscape, including the Office for Students (OfS) regulatory framework.
  • Strong pedagogical knowledge, particularly regarding student retention, progression, and the "transition" into Higher Education.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to lead, motivate, and influence staff at all levels.
  • Highly developed organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage complex schedules and deadlines.
  • Proficiency in data analysis, with the ability to use student performance data to drive academic improvements.
  • A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom and the workplace.

This job description is provided as a guide to the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive description of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to periodic revision.